Pas-de-Calais County Council and Kent County Council have been working for several months with many stakeholders of their territory to write a cross-border action plan. Around 70 participants gathered at Dover Marina Hotel on 6 March 2018 to attend the launch of Dover Strait action plan.
The room was crowded on Tuesday 6 March for the launch of the cross-border action plan of the strait of Dover/Pas de Calais. Numerous French stakeholders had made the trip from the other side of the strait to attend this launch meeting, in presence of English stakeholders and of PASSAGE partners from the whole Europe.
Mr Mike Whiting, Cabinet member of Kent County Council, and his French counterpart Ms Mireille Hingrez-Cereda, Vice-president of Pas-de-Calais County Council, reminded to the participants the strategic importance of this action plan to trigger a low-carbon transition in one of the most frequented straits of the world.
"Only a collective involvement can make this action plan a success", explained Ms Hingrez-Cereda
Several stakeholders explained how the actions planned on both shores are in line with the current territorial strategies, such as the Third Industrial Revolution (rev 3) in Hauts-de-France and the Kent Environment Strategy vision for 2050. Alternative energies for maritime transport, low-carbon port management, tourism without a car and active mobility were some of the topics raised and discussed at this occasion.
The final version of this cross-border action plan validated by French and English partners will soon be available on this website. This action plan will be implemented during the Phase 2 of PASSAGE project, from April 2018 to March 2020, and beyond.
Ms Hingrez-Cereda (Vice-president of Pas-de-Calais County Council) and Mr Mike Whiting (Cabinet member of Kent County Council) have explained the joint commitment of their institutions in the project.
